The ESA Arts Sponsorship Certificate began back in 2015, and, in this third year of running the course, we wanted to hear from some of our graduates about how this arts specific qualification has played a role in their career and ongoing activities to date.
Jane Atherton, Business and Marketing Co-ordinator for Cheshire Dance, took some time to give us an insight into just how valuable her learning experience has been and what she’s gained from it.
What skills and knowledge, learnt from the ESA Arts Sponsorship Certificate, have been important in your current role?
Since finishing the Certificate last year, I have learnt to more clearly identify which areas / projects within our business would be interesting to a sponsor. And, armed with this new insight, I’ve been able to identify some key potential sponsors to target in our geographical area. The course gave me the knowledge and confidence to look at the assets and benefits that these projects would bring to a sponsor, and establish an objective argument as to why they would want to invest in us. This has resulted in me being able to draw up a relevant and targeted commercial partnership proposal.
Any “success stories” that have come about as a result of undertaking and graduating the ESA Arts Sponsorship Certificate that you’d like to share?
My first task since completing the course has been to tidy up our ‘profile’, as I’ve more fully realised the benefits that a decent website and social media presence give us, allowing potential commercial partners to understand who we actually are. Digital visibility is a sponsor’s first impression of a company and its professionalism, and is important when it comes to encouraging engagement and opening the channels of dialogue for those partnerships.
In the last couple of weeks, a budget for a new website has been signed off by the trustees and directors and we have sent out a design brief to website agencies in the area. With the knowledge I’ve gained on the Certificate, I’ve been able to make very clear in the brief that the website will be a major tool in helping us fulfil our sponsorship task and ensuring that our strategy moving forward builds upon this important marketing resource.
Enrolment for the 2017 ESA Arts Sponsorship Certificate is now open, and you can find out more here.